Winning Zoe
by Hadomaru
Summary: For years, Takuya Kanbera has pined after Zoe, but he feels that there would be no way that she'd reciprocate his feelings. Will he be able to express his feelings into words? Or will he be left feeling lonely
1. The Coffee Shop

_Well guys, this is my first submission. I hope you like it. I'd like some helpful feedback if at all possible . It starts off a bit slow, but it'll pick up soon. _

A loud, beeping noise filled the air, killing off the serene calm of the early morning. Takuya Kanbara stirred slowly, his mouth making a vexed wince at the disturbance, his mind dimly aware that his alarm clock was sounding off. His groggy head realizing that the painful pulse would not end if he did not press the snooze alarm, he slowly sat up and blindly felt around for it. Finally finding it, he hit it with a vigor he did not know he had. The deed done, he momentarily considered laying back down and sleeping for just a bit more, but he quickly through that notion out of his mind when he realized it was already 7:30 am. He suddenly realized that he had forgot to set his alarm back a half hour.

" Oh my god, I'm late!" He shouted to himself. Finding an inner strength he never though possible, he lithely jumped out of his bed and made a dash for his dresser.

Takuya was a nineteen year old Japanese boy, built thin but toned , with somewhat long brown hair and matching brown eyes. Fresh out of High school, his parents had rented him out a cheap one room apartment near the local college he had enrolled in. He had completed his first semester, but due to miss-communications and problems outside of his control, he wouldn't be able to attend this term. While he knew he should be trying to find a job, he still got a monthly allowance from his family and did not feel like going through the effort getting a job required. Lately, he spent most of his free time hanging out with his five closest friends. Two of those friends were enrolled in the same college as he was, and it was with those friends he was supposed to meet in fifteen minutes at a nearby Starbucks.

It was especially important to him because today was the last day of winter break , and so his friends would no longer have as much free time. Drawing strength from his desire to socialize, he was able to push past his drowsiness and get dressed in record time. He put on a yellow t-shirt with a simple black symbol on the front, a pair of green skinny jeans, a pair of red Vans skate shoes, and a black leather jacket. Finding his wallet amidst the clothes strewn across the bare wood floor, he picked it up and put it in his back pocket. He burst out of his room, nearly forgetting to lock the door, and ran towards the elevator. He rapidly pressed the down button, but when the elevator didn't reach him fast enough, he just ran to the stairwell and ran down the three floors to the ground floor.

Finally out on the sidewalk, he broke out in a full sprint in the direction of the coffee house, grimly noticing that Vans are not the best running shoes. After what seemed like ages, he finally made it to the front door of the Starbucks. After gingerly opening the door and stumbling inside, Takuya paused to catch his breath, resting his hands heavily right above his kneecaps.

"Nicely done Takuya!" called out a playful feminine voice from behind him. "And you're only 10 minutes late. That's a new record for you!" Takuya wheeled around, and standing right behind him was Zoe Orimoto, and standing coolly beside her was their other friend Koji Minamoto, with a bemused smirk on his face.

"Let me guess, didn't set your alarm clock, did you?" He said in a pseudo-chastising tone.

" Yeah, well you guys are crazy, getting up so early" Takuya replied. "How am I supposed to adjust to that?" He stared both of them for a few seconds down with a vaguely annoyed look on his face, when he couldn't keep from smiling any longer. The three of them broke out in a shot fit of laughter.

A smile still on his face, Takuya gave a happy glance at his friends. Koji was a little bit taller than Takuya and had long black hair and piercing blue eyes. He was thinly built with somewhat effeminate features, but one look into his eyes revealed that he was not one to be messed with. He wore a green t-shirt, with an unbuttoned blue patterned flannel shirt over it, and a pair of form fitting blue jeans and black work boots. But Takuya's eyes rested on Zoe. She was of medium height, with long, straight blonde hair that came down just below her shoulder blades. Her eyes were a shade of emerald green, and seemed to shine warmly in any light. As for her body, she was well proportioned; not overly endowed, but enough to still be curvy . She was very thin, but didn't look bony or unhealthy. She was wearing a familiar outfit, with a pink hat and matching vest, with a blue horizontal striped shirt that came down to just above her midriff. While she usually wore a pink skirt with this ensemble, today she work lavender chino shorts instead, with nearly matching purple Chuck Taylors on her size ten feet. She was good looking and had a personality to match, and unfortunately, Takuya was in love with her...

" Takuya, are you okay? You're kinda zoning out, did you get enough sleep last night?" Zoe said, breaking Takuya out of his stupor.

He shook his head quickly, clearing his mind. "Yeah, sorry, I didn't get to bed till about 2 last night."

Damn. He thought. I was staring. I hope she bought that stupid excuse. Not that its not true. But I don't want to creep her out.

"Uh, guys I don't know about you, but I'm sorta thirsty, can we get our drinks now?" Koji interjected. Zoe and Takuya both looked at him apologetically. And they moved up to the counter to place their order.

"I'd like an iced coffee" said Koji.

"And a mocha frappe, extra chocolate" added Zoe.

" And I want a pumpkin spice latte" Takuya continued.

The female barista gave them a slightly surly look. " one at a time, I can't keep up with all of you at once!" She looked over at Takuya "And I'd expect better manners from you Takky!"

Takuya looked up halfheartedly. "Oh. Hi Kimi." he forced out.

" You know each other?" Zoe asked.

" Yeah, she's my third cousin, or something. We used to play a lot when I was younger." he replied. Zoe got a better look at the barista and noticed that she did in fact look a lot like Takuya, if a bit older and female.

"Haven't seen the kid in ages." Kimi went on. " So Takuya, this your girlfriend or something?"

Takuya gave him a look that could best be described as half 'why would you do this to me?' and half 'I'm going to kill you later', and for her part, Kimi visibly regretted the question

"Nah" Zoe responded sarcastically. " We're actually married. Right now, we're on our honeymoon, and in a half hour, we'll be on a plane straight to Hawaii!" She then grinned playfully.

" Oh really now? Well, if you're married to him I hope you don't mind a lazy, messy husband." Kimi said this and then gave a wry smile of her own. "Well, I better get those drinks" and with that, she got back to work, leaving behind an awkward silence until she finished. After paying her and giving a decent tip, they proceeded to sit down in a corner

_I really wish she hadn't said that_. Takuya thought. _I really don't want Zoe to know how much I like her, that would completely ruin our friendship. Unless she likes me back... no, she'd never like me. Not with someone like Koji around. _

Such a lack of confidence was atypical for Takuya. 8 years ago, when Takuya first met his friends, he had been their leader . They were all called together to go on a quest in a strange land known as the Digital World., and Takuya had stepped up to be their leader. After a few mishaps, he had grown into the position. Confidence was never a problem for him. He could and did stare down horrifying monsters without blinking, but Zoe presented a new problem.

_She's the only girl I've ever liked._ He mused. _I knew that after traveling with her for a few days. I didn't feel all that nervous around her until after we got back. What's wrong with me?_

His meditations were suddenly interrupted by Zoe asking him "So, you couldn't get back in class for this semester?"

"Uh... no. It's kinda annoying actually. I hope they get it sorted out by next semester"

" Huh, well you can still come to our study group with me and Koji right?"

" Of course! I mean, it's not like I have all that much to do anyway is it. And speaking of Koji, you seem awfully quiet today."

"I'm always quiet." Koji replied in deadpan

"Oh, yeah." Takuya continued. " Have either of you heard from JP? He's transferred to that school in America right?"

" I heard from him the other night." Zoe chipped in. "He says he's doing okay, but it takes a lot of adjusting." For a moment she looked lost in thought, and almost sad. As if sensing the quiet, she quickly asked. " Hey Koji, how's Koichi doing?"

Koichi was Koji's brother who he had first found out about and met 8 years prior in the Digital World. "He's doing okay. He's spending this year at my Dad's place. I'm dorming on campus, so I won't be able to see him much, but I'm sure we'll keep in touch."

They continued conversing in this manner for about two hours, occasionally pausing to sip at their drinks. All three of them had clearly happy looks upon their faces. No matter any differences or problems with each other they might have had, they were all still the closest of friends.

" Well boys" Zoe said after a good long while. "Its been fun., but I've actually got to go to the campus bookstore. I forgot to buy two of my text books." She then gave them both warm hugs ( in Takuya's mind it seemed like she lingered more on Koji) and started to walk out the Starbucks. "See you both tomorrow!"

"Wait up, Zoe." Koji said. "I've got something I need out of the bookstore too. I'll walk you there."

"Aww thanks." she replied. They then both walked out on their way, not noticing the resigned look on Takuya's face. Seemingly out of nowhere, Kimi popped up from behind him.

"You look like a sad puppy." She said surprisingly softly. " C'mon. I'll buy you a drink." She then gave him a quick hug and got him another mocha. After drinking half of it, he walked out of the door and began a sad walk home.


	2. The Phone Call

_Couple things. First off, this story is a prelude to an upcoming story I will be writing, although that will be very different in tone. As such, this story won't be too terribly long, but its got a few more chapters to go. I'd say this will probably be the shortest chapter. Happy reading!_

Takuya made it over the threshold of his door and immediately went over to his still unmade bed and buried his face in the pillow. He stayed in that position for what seemed like hours, until he finally got sick of laying down. He looked at his alarm clock.

_9:25. Huh._ He thought. _This is going to be a long day. _ Not willing to waste the day moping, he got up and slowly shambled over to the only closet in his apartment and opened the door. Inside he pulled out a blue electric guitar and an amp and plugged them in. He sat down in an old wooden chair and began to play a mournful piece, the intro to Metallica's _Battery_. Whenever he was depressed he turned to his guitar, and he had a lot to be depressed about.

Around two years after his journey to the Digital World his parents came to him with devastating news, that they were getting a divorce. They found that they had differences that they just could not set aside and so they felt that there was no other option. It was agreed that each parent would get one of the two children. His father took Shinya, Takuya's little brother, and Takuya's mother took him. Though he tried to hide it and put on a brave face, these developments crushed him. Now he didn't have a dad around most of the time and he hardly ever saw his little brother. Then the next year his birthday came around and his father managed to show up. It was that birthday that his father gave him the guitar he was now playing. At first, Takuya didn't really like the guitar. It symbolized to him how his family was broken apart. But after a while he found something that would help him fill the whole: heavy metal. The anger and energy appealed to him, it was a useful vent for his angst. And with this came an interest in the guitar. He quickly learned to play, not just as a way to find relief, but also as a way to hopefully someday impress Zoe.

_She's the only thing that can fill this hole_. He mentally reminded himself. After the divorce, he was no longer sure of many things, but he was sure that he loved her.

He reached the end of the melodic intro and immediately started the aggressive thrash riff that formed the base of the rest of the song. He liked the power and speed of it. He wasn't actually sure how Zoe would react to him playing such a song, and he felt that surely it wasn't her kind of music . In fact, he had thoroughly convinced himself that he wasn't nearly good enough to show her a song, despite being quite good from just about anyone's standards.

He was nearly three-fourths through the song when he was interrupted by his cellphone ringing. With just a hint of annoyance, he carefully put down his guitar and delved into his pocket and pulled it out.

"Hello?" he answered .

"Takuya? Its me, mom." the voice replied.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Takuya asked

" Yes, honey, isn't it okay that I occasionally want to check up on my boy? I don't have to have an emergency to call you do I?" She replied.

"No, I only meant-" he began to say.

"Really, I'm actually worried about _you_" she cut in.

" Why mom? I'm fine." he lied.

"You never call anymore. Its been over three weeks. And you haven't even responded to any of my texts."

"S-sorry mom. I've just been... preoccupied lately" It wasn't exactly a lie. Also, he hadn't even realized that he'd missed those text and he never even thought about calling her..

"Takuya, is something wrong? Is it about not being in college? " She pressed on.

"I'm fine mom. Perfectly fine." It was starting to sound even less convincing as he became more and more flustered

"I texted Zoe. She says she's a bit worried about you too." At these words Takuya felt his blood begin to freeze.

" Y-You texted Zoe?" he said, almost stunned. "Why would you do that?"

" I know that when you were back here at home, she was the one you hung out with the most. And since you live in the same area now, I figured you probably still did."

"Ahh, where did you even get her number! She probably thinks I'm totally screwed up now!"

"She cares about you Takuya, and so do I. And I now for a fact that you care about her. Even if you won't talk to me, won't you please talk to her?" This too caused Takuya to pause. Was he that obvious? He hadn't told his mom of any feelings he might have for Zoe, but she seemed to know. Did Zoe also know?

" Al-alright mom. I'll do that."

" Okay, I'm going to hang up now, but if you ever feel the need to talk, please call me. I love you."

"I love you too mom, bye."

"Bye sweetie." And with that, she hung up.

Takuya sat for a while in deep thought, pondering what, if any, course of action he should take. His musings were interrupted when his phone notified him of a text message. He pulled it out again and looked at his in-box. It was from Zoe.

Takuya quickly opened up the message, and it read "_Hey Takuya, sorry we left you like that. I guess I was still tired and not thinking. I'm free tonight if you want to hang_."

Takuya gulped, and then began to type in a reply "Yeah, I'm up for 9:30 if thats okay with you. I've got something to tell you." and with that he sent the message. He then proceeded to pick up his guitar and nervously began to play. It was going to be a long wait.


	3. The Confession

_The plot thickens! After this chapter, there should only be two more to go. Tell me what you think._

Takuya didn't do too much while he waited for the coming time. After he got too nervous to play the guitar, he slowly paced his apartment. When he tired of that, he reclined on his bed and stared at the wall. He ran lines and scenarios over and over in his head , trying to decide just what he was going to say to her and how she would react. Though he very much wanted to tell her everything, how deeply he felt for her, he was just as deeply convinced that it would end badly. He never thought his confidence could run so low. In fact, he used to have the opposite problem. He used to be a fearless leader who didn't feel the need to consider being in a situation that was too much for him to handle. And even after he got a much needed attitude adjustment, he never ran short on belief in his abilities. And back in those days, when he was first considering his feelings for Zoe, he always felt that there was a decent chance that she felt the same. He was still a little nervous about it, and not quite as sure about his feelings as he was now, so he never really brought it up with her. But by the time he would have finally confessed, his parents got divorced, and his whole world fell apart.

He still put on an air of self-assurance, few people suspected his own insecurities. Or so he had thought. The revelation that, in addition to his mom, Zoe herself was worried about him brought Takuya a ray of hope, while also making him feel slightly self conscious. Had his ruse proved completely pointless? Was anyone fooled? But these thoughts were not in the forefront of his mind. No, he was busy repeating in his mind that Zoe cared enough to be worried about him. He was frantically trying to force himself to believe that this meant she had feelings for him. This was very flawed logic, he knew, but it was logic he held onto none the less, because it was all that would be able to give him the courage it would take to confess.

Takuya suddenly heard the sounds of All That Remains' _Become The Catalyst_ coming from his phone's tinny speaker, signifying a text message. He hastily reached his phone to read it

"_Sounds like a plan. How about we meet at my dorm room?_" He felt butterflies in his stomach. He'd been to her dorm before, but he felt that inviting him there must be a good sign. He sent her a confirmation text and closed his eyes, the stress causing him to go into a deep sleep.

Several hours later, Takuya snapped into consciousness, and painfully scanned around his room. Where there was once sunlight coming in from his windows, now he only saw night.

_What time is it? _He thought lazily. He glanced over at his clock, which now read 7:30.

_Damn, I slept for hours. What was I doing before I laid down? I remember sending a text message and then -_ The memories flooded back in an instant. He almost laughed to himself._ I guess its time to stop being such a coward. Its likely I'll be rejected, but this is the best course of action._

Takuya slowly rose from his bed, and realized that he was quite hungry. He slipped back into his vans and passively walked toward the mini kitchen. He found nothing but a few cereal bars and a couple of Coke cans.

_Ah, lunch._ He mused to himself. _I guess its more like supper. The walk to her dorm will only take about 20 minutes , so I'm good on time._ He grabbed two bars and a can and proceeded to eat.

When the time finally came to leave, he put on a red denim jacket and walked towards the door. From a table near the door, he grabbed his green baseball cap and affixed his trademark pair of goggles to the back of it and wore it with its bill facing his back. As he exited his room, he found that it was very cold outside, and it had even begun to snow lightly.

_Hope I don't freeze to death before I get there_. He thought grimly, and started walking at a brisk pace. He wasn't looking forward to what came next, but at the same time he was never a big fan of the cold, and he felt the snow might pick up soon. At this speed, he made it to the campus in under 10 minutes and made it to Zoe's dorm in another 2.

_Heh. Early._ He thought, and then gave the door a few good knocks. He found himself hoping that Zoe's roommate hadn't moved back in yet.

"Coming!" A chipper voice said. The door opened summarily, revealing Zoe. "Oh, Hi Takuya! You're here a bit early." She had traded her chinos for a pair of bright red daisy dukes and was no longer wearing any footwear.

_Not making it any easier to say this too her._ He thought. But in order to keep her from seeing how nervous he was, he warmly greeted.

"Hi, Zoe. I guess I got kinda bored waiting around in my apartment, and the cold weather just made me walk faster..." He wasn't entirely sure that this last sentence made even a bit of sense, but Zoe got the jist of it.

"Well, please come in." She beckoned. "You'll excuse the mess, I'm not entirely done unpacking ." Takuya took the offer thankfully and stepped inside her rather large dorm room.

"Wow Zoe, I always forget how big your dorm is. Its even got its own bathroom!" Almost as soon as he said this, he heard a flush ring out from behind the bathroom door.

"Heh, has your roommate moved back in yet?" Takuya questioned

"No, she's not back from home yet." She replied.

As if to answer the unspoken question of who was in the bathroom, the door opened reaveling Koji.

"Huh." Takuya muttered, most of the color draining from his face.

"Hey" Koji said to Takuya. A blunt greeting, but not said in an unfriendly manner. Still, Koji could sense that Takuya wasn't all that happy to see him.

"Say Takuya, you said you had something to tell me?" Zoe asked innocently, breaking the tension.

"Uh. Y-yeah. I was- I mean I. Uh." He stuttered. "I forgot what it was. Give me a second."

_Smooth move, goggle head_. He mentally chastised

"Well, if you think of it, be sure to let me know!" Zoe replied, apparently not noticing a huge sigh of relief from Takuya. "Incidentally, I think me and Koji have something to tell you."

These words turned Takuya's heart to ice. He knew exactly what was coming.

Koji then began to speak, doing his best to smile, as he saw his friend wasn't looking so well. "I guess we do. Takuya, I want you to be the first to know. Zoe and I are-"

"NO!" Takuya blurted out, hot tears suddenly streaming down his face. He began heaving cries, while trying to talk. " Its.. Its not fair. Don't do this to me! You can't." Stress pent up in him for years was coming out now.

"Takuya, whats wrong?" Zoe asked, entirely confused and deeply worried.

"He was going to say it, but I already knew it. You two are dating!" The words wretched from him

"Hey man, I think you're jumping to conclu-" Koji tried to say.

"No! Don't patronize me!"

"Takuya!" Zoe said in a mixture of concern and annoyance. "You're freaking me out here!"

Takuya walked right right up to her and looked into her eyes and found a moment of clarity in his sobs. "Don't you get it Zoe? Can't you see? I love you! I always have! But now you're dating him and I'm all alone!" Zoe blushed at this sudden declaration of love and was about to say something when Takuya gave a hefty, pained shout and ran out of the room, back towards his apartment, leaving a very bewildered Zoe and Koji.

"Takuya, wait!" Zoe said with futile energy. After she said that, the room when silent for a at least two minutes before Koji decided to finally break the silence.

"That dumbass." He said, but it was almost a mutter

"Che cazzo?" Zoe said in disbelief. (Due to spending a good deal of time in Italy, she spoke fluent Italian, and it sometimes crept out )

"I can't believe how wrong he took that. I didn't even get a chance to finish." He said shaking his head.  
Zoe fell silent for a short moment , and looked to the ground. "I-I'm going after him" she declared, after searching herself for the right thing to do. " Don't try to stop me."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Koji said nonchalantly. "I'll be on my way, I guess I can lock up for you." Zoe nodded a thank you his way. "Oh, and Zoe? Don't go too hard on him." He gave wry smile.

With that, Zoe slipped on her chucks and ran off into the cold after Takuya


	4. The Consummation

_ Alright, here we come to the turning point. First I would like to say, this chapter is what gets this story its M rating. It is NOT for kids, but it I not really explicit either. I plan on making two more chapters after this. Hope you enjoy. _

Zoe rushed out of the door, hoping to catch Takuya before he got back to his house. This was a futile hope, as Takuya had about a 4 minute head-start, but she was hoping for it nonetheless. It was already colder than when Takuya first arrived, and the snow had picked up tremendously, and was clearly starting to stick.

_Maybe Chucks and shorts aren't the best thing to be wearing right now._ Zoe thought grimly as the cold was stinging her legs and feet. However, this inconvenience only served to spur her on, and she broke out into a full sprint. For the rest of the way.

_People watching me will think I'm crazy._ She thought. _Then again, maybe they're right_

Due to her high speed gait, she made it to Takuya's apartment complex in about 7 minutes,. As she was about to enter the premises, she felt herself freeze, and her heart began to pound. She hadn't counted on how nervous she was running down here, she was just filled with adrenaline. How was she supposed to continue? She was never in a situation like this before, and she had no idea how to react. But finally the cold got the better of her and she walked up to Takuya's door. She surprisingly found it open, and concluded that he was in such a flustered state that he had neglected to shut it. She inched up to it to knock, but quickly realized that he wouldn't be able to hear it . Somewhere in his room, he was blaring heavy metal. While she couldn't name the song, she recognized it as Alice in Chains

_Oh lord, he's being a tad over dramatic._ She thought , rolling her eyes a tad.

She decided to let herself in, this decision bringing butterflies to her stomach. She forced past her anxiety and walked into his apartment.

"Takuya?" She called out. "Come on, we need to talk" She said in her most sympathetic voice. Venturing in further, she found him face down on his bead, crying heavily into his pillow.

"Takuya?" She said as she prodded him in the back.

Surprised at the sudden sensation he, shot up. He obviously wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings.

"Z-Zoe?" He asked in between sobs. His face was very red and his eyes bloodshot.

"Takuya, I think you misunderstood what I meant, I was going to say..."

"Just go on and say it, you like Koji. Its okay, I've known for a long time, I've-"

Zoe suddenly reared back and slapped him hard right on his right cheek.

"You're being absolutely ridiculous!" she said, her momentary anger getting the best of her. After she realized what she had just done, she blushed heavily. "S-sorry, I wasn't thinking."

Takuya sat their for about thirty seconds, stunned. He finally composed himself enough to say "No, you're right. Please go on." He was awkwardly looking off to the side

"Alright then." She said, breathing a sigh of relief. "What I was trying to say was that you didn't let Koji finish. We're not dating."

"You're not?" Takuya said with genuine shock.

" No! Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy. Heh, he's not bad looking either. But he's not really my type, and I get the feeling I'm not his either."

"Then what were you so excited about telling me?"

"You know I'm majoring in fashion design, right? Well, we're supposed to be doing men's clothing for a class this semester. And I needed a model, and Koji's just prefect for what I'm looking for. So, he agreed to be my official male model." At this, Takuya's face lightened up considerably, but he still looked quite tense and nervous.

"So..." Zoe began, but trailed off. She honestly couldn't think of what she was going to say next. She looked at Takuya and he returned the glance, causing their eyes to meet. This prompted both of them to blush and look the other way.

She knew that it wouldn't get any easier the longer she waited, so she just had to blurt it out.

"Takuya... I!... I love you too..." With that, she blushed far redder than before, sunk her head and closed her eyes.

_I don't know why I'm so nervous, I already know how he feels... _She thought.

She held her eyes tight for a while, until she finally worked up the strength to look up at Takuya's reaction. He sat on his bed with his jaw agape and an incredibly surprised look on his face. His eyes were once again watery, but he wasn't crying. He eventually broke out of his stupor enough to try to talk.

"Zoe- I... you... you don't know how happy this makes me feel." Then his face truly shone.

Zoe suddenly felt all of her doubts lifted from her.

_Like I thought. It was stupid of me to be nervous. _She chastised. _Still, I think he's got a lot more problems to work through. And I'm gonna be there for him. I... I love him after all_.

Zoe quickly stood up. "Whew, that was tense." She said , putting on as much levity as she could. "I almost didn';t notice that I had to go to the bathroom. I'll be back in a sec, okay sweetie?" She winked at him and went into his small bathroom, and promptly shut the door.

When she was inside, she sat down for a second, trying to wave out any shadows of nagging doubts she may have.

_This might be too soon... but I think we need this. After all, we've known each other so long, its not like we've just met, is it?_

Meanwhile Takuya was waiting out side. He had got off his bed and was sitting on the floor, deep in thought

_She really liked me after all! Wow. I'd never have imagined that. This is great news!_ He was starting to get excited. But then he started to think a little too deeply. _But this is also bad. I really made my self look like an idiot. Probably freaked her out. I really hope I haven't scared her off..._

He then decided not to think too much about it, as it was only making him unhappy, so he resolved to just wait for her to get out of the bathroom. Even though it was just a few short minutes, it felt like many hours to him. But when she finally exited the restroom, nothing in the world could have prepared him for what was to come.

She stood before him, wearing nothing but her panties and a bra, with a knowing, playful grin on her face. Takuya stared at her for several seconds, not fully comprehending what was transpiring in front of him. Then the realization hit him like a ton of bricks, and his face took on a redder hue than he had ever experienced.

"wh-wha-wha-whaaaa?" was all he could stammer out.

" Don't act so surprised." she said, wry smile still plastered across her face.

_I really hope he doesn't notice how embarrassed I am right now. _She thought. But any trepidations she had did not show through.

"B-b-b... am I dreaming?" Takuya continued on.

"Oh, its all real." With that, she walked over to him in a particularly sultry way. Nervously, Takuya got up and fell back on his bed, and desperately sat up. Zoe took this chance, and quickly sat down facing forward on his lap with her legs propped up on his bed.

"Zoe! What are you doing?" For the slightest moment, this caused Zoe to lose composure and blush nervously. But she pushed past it.

"Takuya?" She said. "Just shut up and_ baciami_" She then grabbed him by his shoulders and pulled herself up to his face and started to passionately kiss him. Takuya started to protest, but finally seemed to get the message. After a moment, he began to reciprocate the kiss with just as much vigor. A half hour passed before they stopped for air.

"Zoe-" Takuya said, Zoe still in his lap. "This is – this is great."

"And its about to get even better!" Her hidden nervousness turning into genuine excitement. Takuya's eyes perked up at the sound of that. He finally felt comfortable enough to examine the now near-nude Zoe.

_She's even more beautiful than I thought she'd be._ He thought reverentially. He found his eyes fixating towards her breasts. After staring for a few seconds, he felt ashamed and averted his gaze.

"Oh, Takuya..." Zoe said followed by a soft laugh. She took one of his hands into hers and directed it toward her chest.

"Its okay. Go ahead I really don't mind." She then gave him a genuine smile. Now with assurance, he rested his hand on one of her breasts. He held it there for what seemed like forever and yet not long enough. His thoughts turned to the rest of her body.

"Uhh Zoe, would you mind if I-"

"I'm all yours. On one condition that is..." She flirted in a sing-songy voice

"S-sure, whats that?"

"Take that shirt of yours off!" she proclaimed.

"Oh!. Right, right." He said, and quickly pulled his shirt off, feeling a little selfish.

"Ooh!" Zoe exclaimed, and raised her hand to feel his toned chest. "Have you been working ou?."

"Yeah, a little" He said with a mixture of pride and bashfulness. Zoe then laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes for a bit. Takuya, feeling a sudden burst of courage, reached down and grabbed a hold of her backside.

"Mmph!" She said, and put on a pouty face. "Getting a tad frisky?" She said, knowing grin returning to her face. She then copied Takuya's move and grabbed his butt. He jumped slightly out of surprise, but made no move to free himself from her grasp. They then went in for another long kiss. About 4 minutes in, Zoe pulled one of her legs back, and Takuya , almost unconsciously, grabbed onto her foot.

"Takuya... why are you holding my foot?"

" I... really don't know" An honest answer. He had always had a passing interest in her feet, but, he had never had a desire to act out on it. In fact he had buried it and tried not to think about it too much, thinking it was weird. Perhaps he was finally becoming more accepting of his inner feelings.

"Do you have a thing for feet?" she inquired. It was something she never noticed about him, and something he seemed to be unsure of himself.

"I- I guess so. I mean, I've... well its barely come up before." He started to look, very uncomfortable.

"Its not weird or anything, hon. I've known several guys like that. My feet aren't very ticklish either. I have no problem with you touching them." She reassured him.

"Well, I don't know..."

Zoe didn't give him time to think, she just angled off him onto the bed and raised her foot into the air and rested the sole on his face. This time Takuya didn't recoil in shock, he just sat there and took in the situation.

"Well?" Zoe asked, lowering her foot.

" I don't know. I kinda liked it, but we'll take it at one step at a time." Takuya said, then paused, watching Zoe giving an affirmative nod. "Zoe, I want to find out more about myself with you, and help you find out more about you." He said, looking straight into her face. "Will you be my... girlfriend?" Zoe's eyes watered a bit with happy tears.

"Oh Takuya, of course I will!" And the tears streamed down.

"Thats great! Zoe... I'll say it again. I love you" Tears coming from his eyes again.

" I love you too, Takuya." She then stood up and grabbed his hands, pulling off his bed.

"Lets take it a step further" She said, pulling his sheet back and entering his bed. She pulled it up to her neck.

"Zoe? Are you sure, so soon."

"I've been sure. I know we've felt this way for a long time." With that, she removed her bra and seductively through it out of the bed covers. She did not however reveal her body yet.

" I guess I can't argue with that." Takuya said, his face turning crimson again. He joined her in the bed.

That cold winter night, they made love for the first time.


End file.
